Midway USA, Chapter 16 - Salina, Kansas

 

PRESIDENT's COMMENTS:  I wish all of you a Happy Valentine Day.  For the first time during the history of our chapter, we have a budget. At our January meeting, the budget was finalized and approved. I want to thank all the members who assisted in producing a workable budget. Now we must tighten our belts and follow the budget.  If we do so, I do not foresee us encountering any major financial problems. A copy of the budget will be provided to everyone via mail, e-mail, and at our meeting. See attachment one to this Newsletter. My goal as President has and will continue to be to bring our chapter to the forefront and present an organized chapter which represents its members in a positive moving forward team. This upcoming meeting we have several items that require your attention; I encourage each of you to attend it.  I PRAY FOR THE GOOD LORD's GUIDANCE FOR OUR NEWLY SWORN-IN PRESIDENT TRUMP ALONG WITH THE VICE PRESIDENT AND ALL CABINET MEMBERS. Thank You - Your Chapter President

 

DEVOTION FOR: Virginia Whitman, Taft Yates Sr., and Abe Holzmeister.

NEW MEMBER: We welcome aboard, Curtis Peters, Army, E-6 (retiree) Salina.  He was recruited by Keith Price.

GUEST SPEAKERS:  Jennifer Cantrell, Marketing Director Bethany Home and Andrea Johnson, Human Resources Director Bethany Home.

FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS: Oscar Harris.

 

 BIPARTISAN GROUP OF LAWMAKERS CONSIDERING NEW BRAC: Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA), the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee (HVAC) said he will introduce legislation to authorize another round of military base closings. A new round of Base Realignment and Closing (BRAC) is in line with comments made by Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who is still the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC). McCain called not confronting the issue cowardice.    McCain said that he and SASC Ranking Member Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) are giving serious thought to something that has not been done since 2005. (Source TREA Update)

 

FEDERAL HIRING FREEZE: President Donald Trump’s new federal hiring freeze could cause major problems for not only managers at the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense but also thousands of former service members hoping to land government posts. On Jan. 23, in one of his first executive actions in the White House, Trump ordered "a freeze on the hiring of federal civilian employees to be applied across the board in the executive branch." It applies to "all executive departments and agencies regardless of the sources of their operational and programmatic funding, excepting military personnel."  (Sources Military Times & TREA Voice)

 

JANUARY MEETING TIBITS:  Rachel Fikes won $20 Gift Card. The chapter budget for 2017 was finalized. See attachment one. Members attending this meeting gave “of Free Will Donations” of $225.00. January Treasurer report was a balance of $734.69. Sympathy cards for the Tabor and Whitman family were passed around for members to sign. President R. Trow advised that the Chapter had received $366.06 from the Veterans Appreciation Day event.

 

MILITARY AFFAIRS COUNCIL:  On January 17, at the MAC meeting some of the items discussed were: there had been a meeting with a Contractor from Kansas City on repairs to Sunset Park Veterans Memorial that included the Memorial Bricks; a search for grant monies to fund the needed repairs; still working on a part-time Point of Contact position for MAC and scheduling Commanders Club events.

 

VA LEAVING NAVY VETS ADRIFT IN SEA OF AGENT ORGANGE: The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017 (HR 299), a bill to restore the presumption of Agent Orange exposure to those veterans who served in the bays, harbors and territorial seas of Vietnam, was introduced on Jan. 5. It was introduced by Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) and co-sponsored by Rep Tim Walz, D-(Minn.), Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Joseph Courtney (D-Conn.), Joe Lobiondo (R-N.J.) and Dennis Ross, (R-Fla.). It picked up over 100 additional co-sponsors in less than a week. HR 299 would correct a Veteran’s Affairs (VA) policy decision implemented in 2002 that unilaterally striped these veterans of the presumption of exposure granted by the Agent Orange Act of 1991. (Source TREA Voice Weekly)

 PRESCRIPTIONS OF VA: Required prescriptions are provided to those veterans or active members of the military receiving medical treatment.  Some veterans, such as those service-related veterans who are rated 50% disabled or more, service-related members receiving medical treatment for a service-related disorder, or veterans who are non-service-related but fulfill the condition for lower income, are exempt from the copayment of prescriptions. The required income limits change annually.

 

NEWSLETTER: All inputs and suggestions for our newsletter are welcomed. The inputs for the March newsletter will be due by 27th February. E-mail your articles to vinex2@att.net or mail it to The Enlisted Association Midway Chapter 16, P.O. Box 1774, Salina KS 67401-1774.                        

 

VALENTINE DAY QUOTE:  Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen... yourself, right now, rig

down here on Earth. Bradley Whitford